Books, reviews and discussion

Bookstores continued…

I wanted to continue my cheap bookstore’s post by going into the mass market stores. I have two in Kingston and both are good for different reasons but I certainly prefer one over the other.

Waterstones is the first with their homely atmosphere. I love the layout of the Kingston Waterstones and this doesn’t happen In every one of their branches. I love the way everything has its own section and it’s nice and spacious. The teen books are separate slightly from the children so that is a big plus for me also. I always feel welcomed when I enter this store and I am very glad It is so close to me.

I have a big problem when I go into Waterstones though as I normally can’t go in there without picking up at least one book, and even then I have to normally buy another because for every £10 you spend you get a stamp on a rewards card. Once you have 10 of these stamps you get £10 free to spend in store. I know it is a very clever marketing technique but to be honest it works because I spend a lot of money in there anyway. There is also the normal rewards card where you accumulate points and after a while, you can spend those points in store on a purchase.

The best thing about Waterstones though is that they have their buy one get one half price tables. These are normally filled with new releases with are great” It also causes by book buying addiction to spike as I normally have to pick up at least one book. Waterstones can be quite expensive compared to charity bookshops but as I do not have any local independent bookstores near me Waterstones is my next best thing.

WHSmith is the next on the list… I go into this store very rarely for books if I’m honest. I normally have a wander in there if I’m travelling as there are normally branches at train stations and the like. However, I now regard Whsmiths as more of a stationary shop now. It does not have the homey feeling that Waterstones has. However, I will have a wander in here if Waterstones does not have a specific book that I want. I will go and check in WHSmith’s before I check Amazon. This is mostly because they do not offer the same sort of rewards system that Waterstones does. I feel like I’m building up to something within their stores, whereas WHSmiths I do not get any perks from buying their books. Also, the layout of their books for me is not that appealing just being in straight lines for the different genres. I feel like I’m being enclosed in books. However, Waterstones makes everything a little more spacious by adding tables within the ‘isles’. I love both of these stores, however, there are certainly more perks to going to Waterstones. Even if there are offers every now and again on the bestsellers or book club picks in WHSmiths.